Quadrupling My Vote This November

I just quadrupled my vote for next month’s Presidential election. Nope, there’s no voter fraud going on here (who can forget ‘hanging chads’ from 2000?), but with a little extra effort, I helped make it possible for three more Cranes to cast their ballot.

You see, in 36 days my husband and I will head to the Retirement Center around the corner from us where we’ll stand in line clutching our precious fill-in-the-bubble paper ballot. (Somehow I just feel more empowered when I grab that little black marker!) We’ll exit a few minutes later proudly displaying “I VOTED” stickers the rest of the day.

But, for varying reasons, three other men in my life are unable to join us this year; my father-in-law is physically limited, and our two college-aged sons will be up to their ears in “New Testament Survey” and “Seismic Analysis and Design” classes on Tuesday, Nov. 6. All three earnestly want to participate but are encumbered at this season of their lives. And yet I quickly realized that all it took was someone saying, "Hey, let me help you with that! I’ll help you update your voter registration and request those mail-in ballots!" A few minutes online, a couple of signatures and…..Voila, done! They felt empowered -- and I just multiplied my vote.

I urge you to take a moment and think about your own family members. Is there a college student who’ll be out of state on Nov 6th? How about an elderly saint who has moved and needs to re-register? Maybe you’ve even changed your name or moved across town. Don’t be caught off-guard. Here in Colorado, the deadline to register is October 8th and in most other states the clock is ticking as well. It’s easy! You can get started at http://championthevote.com/

At times like this it’s good to reflect on a few verses of a rousing song that served as one of our nation’s de facto anthems before we officially adopted “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1931. “Verse Four” seems especially pertinent right now.

I really appreciate Dr. Dobson's encouragement (in a recent email) that this election is too important to stay home.

Something I'm doing to multiply my vote is to encourage others to vote responsibly. Via facebook, I've been following the news and the debates and helping to motivate Christians to seriously think through their decision.

Together with other concerned friends, I've "linked" to informative articles written from biblical perspectives, dealing with all kinds of "issues" -- from WHY Christians should vote, to sharing my deeply-felt pro-life and pro-family concerns, to dealing with the "moral-dilemma" many Christians are trying to figure out about whether it is "best" or permissible to vote for a Mormon.

Some people, even many Christians, don't want to address controversial topics like religion or politics, but I say, "We need to care about our life eternal and our life here-and-now!"

As Christians, we need to care (and help others to care), we need to vote, and more than anything, WE NEED TO PRAY!!!